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United States Patent |
5,253,661
|
Alonzo
|
October 19, 1993
|
Composite oral cleaning apparatus
Abstract
The present invention provides a teeth cleaning apparatus which is a
composite of oral cleaning implements. An elongated member has one pointed
tip for cleaning between the teeth and a second end having a scoop shape
for dislodging particulate matter from hard to reach places. The extended
shaft portion of the device provides for supporting and handling of the
scoop and point-end. Alternative embodiments of the present invention
further provide a spool or cleat region cut into the elongated shaft. The
spool or cleat section provides a region along the shaft suitable for
wrapping and holding a supply of dental floss. The materials used in the
proposed device are selected so as to minimize the amount of discomfort
resulting from interacting with the gums and may be any color and
optionally flavored.
Inventors:
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Alonzo; Harold (P.O. Box 191 (9-1/2Mile Marker on Hwy. 11), Kurtistown, HI 96769)
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Appl. No.:
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944436 |
Filed:
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September 14, 1992 |
Current U.S. Class: |
132/321 |
Intern'l Class: |
A61C 015/00 |
Field of Search: |
132/321,323,329
433/143
|
References Cited
U.S. Patent Documents
407362 | Jul., 1889 | Mason | 132/321.
|
469064 | Feb., 1892 | McKay | 132/321.
|
2059287 | Nov., 1936 | Storm | 132/323.
|
2192733 | Mar., 1940 | Bader, Jr. | 132/321.
|
2552134 | May., 1951 | Berliner | 433/143.
|
3605765 | Sep., 1971 | Canby | 132/329.
|
3954115 | May., 1976 | Bergtsson | 132/329.
|
4616667 | Oct., 1986 | Tang | 132/329.
|
4805646 | Feb., 1989 | Shimenkov | 132/329.
|
4942034 | Jul., 1990 | Hill et al. | 132/321.
|
5127833 | Jul., 1992 | Kline | 433/143.
|
Foreign Patent Documents |
3130971 | Feb., 1983 | DE | 132/321.
|
Primary Examiner: Mancene; Gene
Assistant Examiner: Lucchesi; Nicholas D.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Blakely, Sokoloff, Taylor & Zafman
Claims
I claim:
1. A composite oral cleaning apparatus comprising:
an elongated, substantially solid shaft having first and second ends; and
recessed floss holding means cut into said elongated shaft for securing a
length of dental floss without increasing the diameter of said shaft when
said dental floss is wrapped around said recessed floss holding means,
said floss holding means sized to accomodate multiple turns of floss when
wrapped therearound;
said first end of said elongated shaft comprising a pick cleaning means,
said pick cleaning means having a pointed tip;
said second end of said elongated shaft comprising a scooping means, said
scooping means having first and second surfaces wherein at least one of
said surfaces is concave.
2. The composite oral cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein said elongated
shaft is rigid and tapers from said second end to said first end.
3. The composite oral cleaning apparatus of claim 2 wherein said elongated
shaft has an elliptical cross section.
4. The composite oral cleaning apparatus of claim 3 wherein said first
surface of said scooping means is concave and said second surface of said
scooping means is convex.
5. The composite oral cleaning apparatus of claim 3 wherein said first
surface of said scooping means is concave and said second surface of said
scooping means is concave.
6. The composite oral cleaning apparatus of claim 3 wherein said first
surface of said scooping means is concave and said second surface of said
scooping means is flat.
7. The composite oral cleaning apparatus of claim 2 wherein said elongated
shaft has a rectangular cross section.
8. The composite oral cleaning apparatus of claim 2 wherein said elongated
shaft has a circular cross section.
9. The composite oral cleaning apparatus of claim 2 wherein said pick
cleaning means and said scooping means are composed of materials less
rigid than said elongated shaft.
10. The composite oral cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein said recessed
floss holding means comprises a portion of said elongated shaft cut away
to provide a spool around which floss may be wrapped.
11. The composite oral cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein said recessed
floss holding means comprises a portion of said elongated shaft notched on
one edge to provide a cleat around which floss may be wrapped.
12. The composite oral cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein said shaft
comprises a flexible material so that it may be bent to facilitate
reaching otherwise inaccessible recesses in the mouth.
13. The composite oral cleaning tool of claim 1 further comprising
flavoring carried by said tool.
14. A composite oral cleaning apparatus comprising an elongated
substantially solid shaft having first and second ends, said elongated
shaft having an elliptical cross section and tapering from said second end
to said first end, said first end of said composite oral cleaning
apparatus comprising a pointed tip for cleaning between teeth, said second
end of said composite oral cleaning apparatus comprising a scooping means
for cleaning other areas of the mouth, said scooping means having first
and second surfaces wherein said first surface is concave and said second
surface is convex, said elongated shaft including a recessed floss holding
means for securing a length of dental floss; said floss holding means
sized to accomodate multiple turns of floss when wrapped therearound.
15. The composite oral cleaning apparatus of claim 14 wherein said recessed
floss holding means comprises a portion of said elongated shaft cut away
to provide a spool around which floss may be wrapped.
16. The composite oral cleaning apparatus of claim 14 wherein said recessed
floss holding means comprises a portion of said elongated shaft notched on
one edge to provide a cleat around which floss may be wrapped.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for cleaning between teeth
and surrounding areas in the mouth. More particularly, the present
invention relates to a composite tool for dislodging particles between
teeth as well as from other areas in the mouth which accumulate food and
other debris.
2. Art Background
Conventional toothpicks are well-known and are recognized as rigid pieces
of wood or plastic sharpened to a point at one or both ends. Conventional
toothpicks are used for cleaning out debris, specifically between teeth,
by poking and wedging the toothpick point between the teeth so as to
dislodge accumulated particulate matter. The pointed ends of conventional
toothpicks are not particularly useful for cleaning other portions of the
mouth such as the areas between the gums and cheek and behind the farthest
teeth.
Conventional toothpicks suffer a number of disadvantages despite their wide
use and application. The pointed tip can be hazardous in that careless use
may puncture a gum or cut inner portions of the mouth. Further, the use of
a pointed tip often proves ineffective for dislodging food particles from
the other hard to reach regions of the mouth because the tip itself is
hard to maneuver to an exact location and is not effectively used as a
scoop. Often, to clean portions of the mouth other than between teeth, it
is necessary to resort to a finger or other oral implement or rinse which
may not always be convenient.
It would be a great advantage and, is therefore an object of the present
invention, to provide an oral cleaning device which is suitable for both
cleaning between teeth and for other areas inside the mouth.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a composite device for
cleaning between teeth and other areas of the mouth for which conventional
toothpicks are not suited.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a device which may
be used for cleaning between teeth with less risk of gum damage upon
insertion than is available from conventional toothpicks.
It is further an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus
which may be used for massaging gums in addition to providing cleaning
functions.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a composite
oral cleaning apparatus which includes a mechanism suitable for holding
and dispensing a supply of dental floss.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a cleaning
implement which provides the flexibility to access hard to reach places so
that they are more easily cleaned.
These and other objects of the present invention are provided in a
composite oral cleaning apparatus in which an elongated member has one
pointed tip for cleaning between the teeth and a scoop-shaped end for
scraping other mouth regions. The elongated shaft portion of the device
may be more rigid than the scoop and/or point end to provide for greater
support and handling. Alternative embodiments of the present invention
further provide either a cut-away spool section or a cleated region cut
into the elongated shaft. These sections provide a region along the shaft
suitable for wrapping and holding a supply of dental floss. The materials
used in the proposed device are selected so as to minimize the amount of
discomfort resulting from interacting with the gums.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
These and other objects of the present invention will be described with
respect to the following figures in which:
FIG. 1 illustrates a first embodiment of the oral cleaning apparatus in
accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 2--2 of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 3--3 of FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 4--4 of FIG. 1.
FIG. 5 illustrates a portion of FIG. 2 showing an alternative embodiment of
the oral cleaning apparatus in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 illustrating yet another alternative
embodiment of the oral cleaning apparatus in accordance with the present
invention.
FIG. 7 illustrates another alternative embodiment of the oral cleaning
apparatus in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 8 illustrates yet another alternative embodiment of the oral cleaning
apparatus in accordance with the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
A composite apparatus is described which is useful for cleaning between
teeth in the manner that conventional toothpicks are used. The teeth
cleaning portion of the present invention also serves as a useful tool for
massaging gums which strengthens them. An additional aspect of the present
invention is the inclusion of an implement for cleaning areas of the mouth
other than between teeth. These areas include the region of the mouth
between the gums and cheeks where it is known that food can become lodged
with no easy or "socially polite" method of removal.
Referring now to FIGS. 1-4 a first embodiment of the present invention is
illustrated along various axes. In this first embodiment, an elongated and
tapered central shaft 1 having an elliptical cross-section is provided for
supporting the various oral implements of the present invention. The
elongated shaft 1 is molded of rigid but flexible material such as plastic
or rubber or other material having similar characteristics. The shaft 1,
in addition to providing support for the oral cleaning tools also serves
as a handle which the user of the apparatus holds for positioning and
utilizing the invention. The length of the shaft is essentially arbitrary,
needing only to be long enough to be held for reaching into the mouth, but
not so long as to be inconvenient to package or carry. In the first
embodiment, it has been found that a length of approximately 2-21/2"
satisfies these requirements.
The first embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 1-4 has cleaning
implements at the two ends of the rigid shaft 1. At one end is the pick
tool 2 which in the first embodiment is the fully tapered end of the shaft
1. The pick tool 2 is used to clean between teeth in a manner similar to
that employed when using a conventional toothpick. The user grasps the
rigid shaft 1 and positions the tip of pick tool 2 between the desired
teeth and gently inserts and retracts the tip until whatever particulate
matter present is dislodged. Because the tip of pick tool 2 is the
extended tapered end of the rigid shaft 1, it is more flexible than wooden
toothpick ends and less likely to cause gum damage. Further, in addition
to being useful for cleaning between teeth, the pick tool 2 may be used
for gentling massaging the gums of the user. The pick tool 2 may
optionally comprise a second, softer material and be affixed to the rigid
shaft 1 by bonding or other appropriate means.
At the opposite end of the rigid shaft 1 of the first embodiment of the
present invention shown in FIGS. 1-4 is a second oral cleaning implement,
the "mouth scoop" 3. The scoop 3 has a rounded rectangular shape that is
wider than the rigid shaft 1 at its widest point, but having approximately
the same depth. The scoop 3 is made of the same molded material of the
shaft 1 but may optionally be a softer material as described with
reference to the pick tool 2 to further provide comfort when it is
utilized inside the mouth. The scoop tool 3 has two surfaces 4 and 5. In
the first embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1-4, the surface 4 is concave
and the surface 5 is slightly convex. The overall shape of the scoop 3 in
the first embodiment thus resembles a spoon. The scoop tool 3 is used to
clean in those hard-to-reach places such as between the gums and cheeks
where food is known to become lodged. As when the pick tool 2 is used, the
scoop tool 3 is used by the user holding the rigid shaft 1 and positioning
the scoop tool 3 to the appropriate position and gently scraping to
dislodge whatever particulate matter is present.
Now referring to FIG. 5 a portion of an alternative embodiment oral
cleaning device is illustrated. In this embodiment, the scoop tool 3 has
been replaced by scoop tool 13 having two surfaces 14 and 15. Scoop tool
13 is different from scoop tool 3 in that both surfaces, 14 and 15, are
concave. The double-concave shape may provide better scooping action in
some circumstance. FIG. 6 illustrates a scoop tool 23 in which one surface
24 of the tool is concave, while the other surface 25 is flat. Again, the
alternative scoop tools may be molded as a single device with the rigid
shaft 1, or optionally comprise a softer material and be affixed to the
shaft.
In addition to the cleaning tools described above, FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate
the composite oral cleaning apparatus of the present invention
incorporating still another useful mechanism. The additional mechanism
illustrated in both figures is for holding a supply of dental floss which
may be used by the holder of the tool for cleaning between teeth and
massaging the gums. In FIG. 7, the rigid shaft 1 is notched around its
circumference such that the cut-away section 30 provides a spool around
which a quantity of floss may be wrapped without increasing the diameter
of the shaft. The floss holding mechanism illustrated by FIG. 8 comprises
a region dug into one edge of the rigid shaft 1 thus forming a cleat 32
around which a segment of dental floss may be wrapped, again, without
increasing the overall size of the oral cleaning apparatus.
The composite cleaning device described herein may be manufactured in any
number of colors. Further, flavoring may be added to the materials when
the cleaning device is produced to further enhance the cleaning process.
While the present invention has been described in terms of various
embodiments, other embodiments will surely come to mind to those skilled
in the art. For example, the various embodiments described have all
incorporated a rigid shaft 1 as the support and holding mechanism for the
present invention. It may prove desirable in some cases to provide the
shaft 1 with some flexibility for reaching otherwise unreachable regions
inside the mouth. Such a flexible shaft could be manipulated by the user
by pressing a thumb against the shaft to bend it to the desired angle.
Further, it may be desirable for handling purposes to provide the shaft 1
with a more circular or rectangular cross-section instead of an elliptical
one. Those skilled in the art may envision other alternatives which do not
depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The invention
should, therefore, be measured in terms of the claims which follow.
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